I asked on the way down, not up, there are 246 steps from the entrance to the tower view point,
Luckily with 3 stopping points along the way, the first being the Hall of Heroes.
James Watt & John Knox
George Buchanan & Thomas Chalmers
Adam Smith & Robert Burns
Thomas Carlyle & Mary Slessor
Maggie Keswick Jencks & King Robert the Bruce
Hugh Miller & Allan Ramsey
David Livingstone & Robert Tannahill
Sir David Brewster
On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The wooden bridge is now gone but the Scots allowed a group of English Calvary over the bridge. The small bridge was broad enough to let only two horsemen cross abreast, but offered the safest river crossing, as the Forth widened to the east and the marshland of Flanders Moss lay to the west. The Scots waited as the English knights and infantry began to make their slow progress across the bridge on the morning of 11 September. It would have taken several hours for the entire English army to cross.
Wallace and Moray waited, according to the Chronicle of Hemingburgh, until “as many of the enemy had come over as they believed they could overcome”. When a substantial number of the troops had crossed (possibly about 2,000)[6] the attack was ordered. The Scots spearmen came down from the high ground in rapid advance and fended off a charge by the English heavy cavalry and then counterattacked the English infantry. They gained control of the east side of the bridge, and cut off the chance of English reinforcements to cross. Caught on the low ground in the loop of the river with no chance of relief or of retreat, most of the outnumbered English on the east side were probably killed.
Turn your phone to selfie mode and get out of the way. Much easier to take ceiling photos without straining the neck
Stirling Castle
Along the long path down from the tower there are some interesting wood sculptures worth noting, beginning with this one of the monument.
Barnwell Brothers flew their first airplane in 1909
Burns & The Bruce
Depiction of Stirling Bridge, 1297
Some of the local animals
Metal working remains have been found locally dating from 2000 BCE
Farmers were known to have lived here in 3800 BCE
Picts, Romans and Vikings whose heads have been removed by desecrating vandals
Whales bones dating from 5000 BCE have been found indicating the changes in sea levels
This stone bridge is Medieval not the one from the 1297 battle, but still quite cool
After all that hiking, a £2 pint of Best ws just the ticket. The folks offered me egg sandies and other noshes too.
And to keep the pub crawl going #2 was good for a flight. 3 1/3 pints for the cost of a pint
Kilburn Dark Moor on the left was the winner
{ 0 comments… add one now }